Photos of Alice Springs, the Centre of Australia

“A Town like Alice” is the real heart of Australia, a thousand miles from Darwin in the north and Adelaide in the south. It is a small town of almost 29,000 people along the usually dry Todd River, with the MacDonnell Ranges as a backdrop. The site where it now stands is known as Mparntwe to the traditional Aboriginal inhabitants, the Arrernte, who probably have been there for around 50,000 years, in an arid environment with an average summer temperature of about 37°C while in winter, it can average as low as 7.5°C.

The town was laid out in 1888, not far from the Telegraph Station, built near a spring; this spring was named after Alice, the wife of Charles Todd, who completed the overland telegraph line from Port Augusta to Darwin in 1872. The town was first called Stuart after the explorer John McDouall Stuart, but it got its present name in 1933.

“The Alice,” as it is often referred to, is the centre for tourists who visit the impressive scenery in the surrounding area; from here, camel safaris may be organised to the nearby nature spots. The town also remains the supply depot of the nearby cattle stations, mines, and Aboriginal communities. It has all the amenities expected of a modern city.